The family of late composer Earle Hagen is embroiled in a battle over the royalties from two classic TV theme tunes. Hagen penned the opening songs for The Andy Griffith Show and The Dick Van Dyke Show in the 1960s and the themes have earned $390,000 (£244,000) in royalties since 2011.
According to TMZ.com, officials at Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) music publishing are unsure who should receive the cheque in the wake of Hagen's 2008 death - both his second wife Laura and his sons from his first marriage believe they are the rightful recipients of the money, so BMI officials have filed legal paperwork asking a judge to decide.

Actor Richard Schaal has died, aged 86. The Mary Tyler Moore Show regular, who also appeared in the comedy show's spin-offs Rhoda and Phyllis, passed away at the Motion Picture and Television Fund retirement home in Woodland Hills, California on Tuesday (04Nov14).
A former member of the fabled Chicago, Illinois comedy troupe Second City, Schaal played twins Howard and Paul Arnell, Dino and Chuckles the Clown on The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
He also appeared on The Dick Van Dyke Show, That Girl and Bob Newhart and in the films Slaughterhouse-Five and The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming.
Married three times, his second wife was his Mary Tyler Moore Show and Rhoda co-star Valerie Harper.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day has more questionable elements than it has titular adjectives. Elements that make you wonder just how certain parties — the ones involved that you love and to whom you choose to extend countless benefits of the doubt — signed off on this mess.
We watch these parties — Steve Carell, Jennifer Garner, and guest stars Megan Mullally and Dick Van Dyke — trot through the muck of a day that just gets worse for all parties. Carell and Garner play parents to Alexander Cooper (Ed Oxenbould), a 12-year-old boy who is no stranger to bad days. When Alexander wishes that his family would finally know what it's like to live under Murphy's Law, the whole Cooper clan — including both parents, a lovestruck older brother (Dylan Minnette), and a budding thespian middle sister (Kerris Dorsey) — succumb to misfortune in the least creative of ways.
While the simple children's book source material gives way to a film intended for the same demographic, it shows that director Miguel Arteta has only worked in more "mature" material up to this point. A legion of poop jokes result from a fatal misprint in the picture book published by mother Kelly (Garner). Dad Ben (Carell) nearly fouls up his son's birthday party when he orders burly strippers instead of... well, we actually don't know what he thought they were. But worst of all, teenage sister Emily (Dorsey) gets loopy after downing an entire bottle of cold medicine, an antic that is played for laughs.
Then we have the more tame material, which lands lazily, unfunnily, and without any energy whatsoever... a miracle, considering how hectic this film is. With so many characters running around between job interviews, prom dates, school plays, and public book readings, you'd imagine a burst of life force to come to fruition somewhere along the line. Instead, the effectively charmless, brainless, and occasionally toxic movie falls very short of its electric source material... but very much lives up to its title.
1.5/5
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Bob Palmer, the legendary Hollywood publicist who led Sir Anthony Hopkins' successful Oscars campaign for The Silence Of The Lambs, has died, aged 85. Palmer, who also represented Faye Dunaway, David Soul and Dick Van Dyke among others, passed away at his home in Pacific Palisades, California on Monday (15Sep14).
Born in Alaska, he studied journalism in Los Angeles before becoming a theatre manager.
He was hired as director of publicity and advertising at United Paramount studios, where he helped create media campaigns for films like Sunset Boulevard, Shane and The Greatest Show on Earth.
After serving in the Korean War, Palmer returned to Hollywood and signed up as West Coast publicity director for ABC Radio, before becoming a publicist at ABC Television.
He also headed up publicity departments at Screen Gems and Universal.

TV director/writer Theodore J. Flicker has died at the age of 84. Flicker passed away in his sleep in Sante Fe, New Mexico on Friday (12Sep14), after a battle with hypersensitivity pneumonitis, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The New Jersey native began his career in the 1950s after studying at London's prestigious Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, becoming one of the early members of the Compass Players improv comedy troupe in Chicago, Illinois. He also directed the Broadway musical adaptation of his The Nervous Set.
In 1964, he transitioned into movies and TV and went on to write and direct several films and shows, including The Troublemaker, The Andy Griffith Show, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and The Streets of San Francisco.
Flicker also appeared onscreen in Night Gallery, Beware! The Blob and The Legend of the Lone Ranger.
He also created beloved TV comedy Barney Miller, which ran from 1975 to 1982.

TV writer/producer Rick Mittleman has passed away at the age of 84. Mittleman died in a traffic accident on Wednesday (30Jul14) in Los Angeles, according to Deadline.com.
He was best known for his work on TV shows such as The Flintstones, The Dick Van Dyke Show and MacGyver, and earned three Emmy nominations for his work on comedy series The Red Skelton Hour (1963), Arnie (1971) and variety show Van Dyke And Company (1976). In addition, he served as a producer on Arnie and detective show Simon & Simon.
Mittleman also sat on the board of directors for the Writers Guild of America and in 1997, he was honoured with the organisation's Morgan Cox Award for his contributions to the labour union.

A screenwriter has set his sights on hiring Val Kilmer and rocker SLASH for his Breaking Bad spin-off show if it gets fully funded on Kickstarter.com. Larry Shepherd, from California, was left unsatisfied with the series finale of the Emmy-winning show which ended last year (13), and he's hoping fellow fans will support his quest to add a new story to the Breaking Bad universe.
Shepherd launched a campaign on the crowdfunding website last month (Jun14), calling on fans to donate to his spin-off, titled Anastasia. He describes the series as picking up where Breaking Bad left off.
Anastasia will focus on the professional and personal lives of two U.S. Marshals who were investigating drug kingpin Walter White.
Shepherd has billed Kilmer and Slash for the primary role, and is eager to feature guest stars such as Robert Downey, Jr., Neil Young, Eminem and Dick Van Dyke, but none of the celebrities have yet to comment on their possible involvement.
Shepherd is planning a 10-episode season if he funds the project by 1 August (14), but as of Wednesday (16Jul14), he has only raised $390 (£227) of the $500,000 (£291,706) goal.

Actress Mary Tyler Moore has reportedly been left nearly blind after battling Type 1 diabetes for several years. The Dick Van Dyke Show star was diagnosed with the disease over 40 years ago, at the age of 33, and she has had to deal with several health issues because of it.
Now, the 77 year old's friend and former co-star Betty White has revealed her eyesight has worsened and her vision is almost gone. White tells Closer Weekly magazine, "Her eyesight is what the big problem is right now. (She) is almost beyond the point (of being able to see)."

ABC Television Network
So, even though my Dancing with the Stars rankings were completely wrong, I may have been the only person to correctly rank Candace Cameron Bure above James Maslow. So ha!
Yes, in Monday's finale (part 1), after a rollicking martial arts-inspired free dance (and a real-live kiss during his tango with Peta – which somehow couldn't even compete with Meryl and Maks almost-kiss) James was sent home. Candace looked quite candidly shocked, as did pretty much everyone else in that studio audience. But, as Tom Bergeron would remind us, "That's live TV!" And hey, at least he got to encore his freestyle dance in last night's episode.
Speaking of which, I always forget that the second part of the finale is less a new episode and more a sort of homage to the rest of the season. A good deal of the episode is spent on retrospectives, bringing back old dancers and stars, video packages, and live musical performances, most of which was delightful – anyone could benefit from a repeat viewing of Charlie White's Dick van Dyke-approved jazz dance to "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," in my opinion. Plus, Maks "joked" that he was going to "ravage" Meryl and nickname both of their "mean, Russian children" "Bear" during one of the video packages. So there was that. Now, the musical numbers were a bit on the spotty side – ranging in quality down from Iggy Azalea's earpiece malfunction, to Christina Perri's pitch-y take on "Human," to the multitasking Cody Simpson and Amber Riley, and finally, up to Ariana Grande's pristine vocals on "Problem."
At long last, it came down to elimination time: which was a delightful brand of awkward, as the three remaining pairs watched selected video clips of themselves from as Christina Perri wailed away at her piano for a good two minute plus. Then, when that was over to the relief of the poor dancers/stars, the drumroll was so long that Candace dropped her poker face and grinned like a good sportsman. She was right – she did end up coming in third place.
And I have to admit, once it finally came down to Meryl/Maks vs. Amy/Derek, my heart was actually pounding a bit – because somewhere in the last 10 weeks I became a huge Meryl/Maks fan. Which was surprising, because I usually like underdogs, and Meryl had the clear advantage as a gold medal-holding ice dancer, while Amy had a lot more difficulties in uncharted territory as the first double-amputee on the show. But on the dancer side? Derek's kind of a DWTS juggernaut – rooting for him is kind of like rooting for the Yankees. And to counter Derek's five wins, much has been made of the fact that in 13 seasons, Maks has never taken the trophy once. Plus, Meryl's admission that she wanted to win more for Maks' sake than her own rang true, and that sort of sincerity is what's always made their relationship compelling to viewers.
With all that mind, their victory was truly a joy to behold (I delightfully noted that Meryl was up on Charlie's shoulders in mere seconds, while pretty much all of the rest of the cast had to band together to get Maks off the ground, so they could celebrate their new Mirror Ball Trophy in true DWTS form). Congrats, Meryl and Maks! Now, on to those mean Russian babies.
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Tomorrow has finally arrived, and it has brought with it the trailer for the upcoming Annie remake, starring Quvenzhané Wallis as the titular orphan and a supporting cast that includes Cameron Diaz as Miss Hannigan and Jamie Foxx as the modern-day Daddy Warbucks, Will Stacks. In this version of the classic story, Wallis' Annie lives with her evil foster caretaker (Diaz) and several other over-worked, unappreciated girls in Harlem before she is plucked out of her apartment by the billionaire mogul Stacks, who is running for mayor and looking for an attention-grabbing photo opp. After she moves into his penthouse apartment, the two grow closer and both of them find the family they've been searching for.
Of course, any time a beloved classic is remade or updated, people are bound to be apprehensive. But no matter how you feel about the score getting a vaguely hip-hop remix or Diaz chewing the scenery as the obnoxious Miss Hannigan, Annie fans can take comfort in the fact that the trailer shows the new film featuring an important staple of musical cinema. We are instead referring to the scenes of Wallis and the rest of the cast dancing around the rooftops of New York City, which has long been a feature of films, movies and musicals.
In honor of the new Annie trailer, we've decided to salute Wallis and her castmates for their bravery and and well-executed choreography with a list of ten great rooftop dance sequences from film and television. Although please, don't actually try this home. We really don't want to be responsible for inspiring a wave of severe injuries just for the sake of a light-hearted dance routine. We're including clips, just live vicariously through them.
Empire Records After you've damned the man and saved the Empire, what better way to celebrate than with a rooftop dance party? Joe owns the store now, everyone's forgotten about Lucas stealing the money, Warren has a job, Corey and AJ are officially together, Gina and Deb are finally getting along and Mark... well, he's Mark, so everyone gets to spin around the roof in the glow of the newly-fixed sign. If you're looking for a way to celebrate Rex Manning Day, this is it.
10 Things I Hate About You If we've learned anything from the teen movies of the '90s, it's that a story has never properly ended until someone gives a rooftop performance while the credits roll, and 10 Things I Hate About You wrapped up the love story of Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles by having Letters to Cleo perform a Cheap Trick cover on what appeared to be the tallest castle spire in all the land. And lest you worry that this scene doesn't fit the "dancing" criteria of this list, we'd like to remind you of the two guys in this band whose sole purpose it is to arm-dance behind the lead singer. Don't shatter their dreams.
The Princess and the FrogTeen movies aren't the only ones that like to wrap up a story with some well-lit, rooftop dancing; Disney has fallen victim to the same urge, and The Princess and the Frog ends with Tiana and Naveen dancing a giddy Charleston in the skyline over New Orleans at sunset. You know how people say that Disney films have given them unrealistic expectations about love and life? This scene is one of the reasons why.
West Side Story Yes, the main character of this film is technically sweet, innocent Maria, but everyone knows the real star was Anita, who was played to perfection by Rita Moreno. The scene that established her dominance over the movie musical genre is the rooftop-set dance off "America." She gets all the best lines, all the best dance moves, and once she starts sassing the boys and twirling her skirt, it's impossible to care about Tony and Maria's sappy romance anymore. If you watch carefully, you can pinpoint the exact high kick that earned Moreno that Oscar.
Friends, "The One With the Ballroom Dancing" In order to keep the superintendent, Mr. Traeger, from evicting Rachel and Monica, Joey sucks up to him by helping him learn how to dance for "The Super Ball," which culminates in a tender, beautifully choreographed dance sequence between the two on the roof of the building. Who knew Joey was so smooth?
CBMTrailers/YouTube
Mary Poppins When you think "dancing on the roof," it's almost impossible not to think about the chimney sweeps tap dancing and high kicking around the roofs of London. Thanks to the repetitive lyrics, everyone can learn to do this dance (once you figure out what Dick Van Dyke is saying through that terrible accent), and everyone did when they were little, stomping and twirling their way around the living room along with all of the chimney sweeps. And if you were really adventurous, you probably threw in some couch-hopping as well.
Clerks IINo matter how foul-mouthed your characters are, there's always an opportunity to work in a romantic rooftop dancing scene, and so Kevin Smith managed to work on into Clerks II with Becky attempting to teach Dante how to dance to "ABC" by the Jackson 5. Unlike the rest of the films on this list, this one turns into an all-out, elaborate dance party, but it all started with Rosario Dawson shimmying around the roof.
High School Musical 3 Sometimes the rooftop dance sequence is important to the plot, sometimes it's a fun moment of celebration, and sometimes it's just there to look pretty, which is the case with Troy and Gabriella's number in High School Musical 3. Theoretically, it's part of Troy asking her to the prom, but mostly it's just in there because Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens hadn't sung a touching ballad to each other since the pervious movie. However, we do give director Kenny Ortega bonus points for managing to work in a second rom-com staple: dancing in the rain.
Victorious, Multiple Episodes What can we say? Tween movies and television shows love to feature people dancing on top of roofs. No show made more use of this trope than Victorious, where seemingly every performance took place on the school's roof, including a prom number featuring Victoria Justice and a pre-pop stardom Ariana Grande singing a song about having a crush on your best friend's older brother. Again, bonus points to Dan Schneider for managing to work a thunderstorm into this performance, which surprisingly doesn't concern the kid playing the electric guitar at all.
Moulin Rouge In a film that featured characters singing, dancing and falling in love all over Paris, it's no surprise that the biggest, most romantic moment occurred on a rooftop that was covered in flowers, fairy lights, and a giant windmill that was often utilized for dramatic moments. We are, of course, referring to the "Elephant Love Medley," which is less formally known as the moment that everyone fell head over heels in love with Ewan McGregor. Forget "Come What May," this is the dance sequence that teenage girls the world over dream about.
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